A THEORY OF URBAN ACCESSIBILITY: A NEW WORKING TOOL FOR THE URBAN PLANNER

The opportunities opened up in the field of urban transport planning by research relating urban accessibility are analyzed and discussed. The estimation of the level of service provided by a urban system is discussed, and the problems associated with the use of conventional economic indicators to reflect transport conditions are noted. The microeconomic model of users' behavior in the theory of accessibility is described. Accessibility to employment opportunities and accessibility for non-work trips are detailed, and applications to planning criteria are reviewed. Applied to urban planning, the economic theory of accessibility enables an estimate to be made of the likely impact upon the service provided to the population by the various transportation networks. The theory provides a key to traffic predictive models, as well as paves the way for fundamental research into the analysis of urban development trends and the effects upon land use which may be induced by decisions taken within the field of transport. Figures are presented which illustrate the behavioral assumption concerning the choice of destination, and the probability distribution of gross utility.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • This paper appears in "Urban Traffic Models", which is a publication containing the Proceedings of Seminar N of the Summer Annual Meeting at University of Warwick, England during July, 1975.
• Corporate Authors:

  Planning and Transport Res and Computation Co Ltd

  167 Oxford Street
  London W1R 1AH,   England 
• Authors:
  • Joening, J G
• Publication Date: 1975-7

Media Info

• Features: Figures;
• Pagination: p. 99-147
• Serial:
  • Publication of: IRCOBI SECRETARIAT
  • Publisher: IRCOBI (International Research Council on the Biokinetics of Impacts)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; City planning; Economics; Employment; Forecasting; Mathematical models; Transportation planning; Urban transportation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Old TRIS Terms: User characteristics
• Subject Areas: Economics; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00148092
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: P122
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 23 1981 12:00AM